In a recent blog post, I talked about sexual harassment in the workplace. In it, I mentioned that the issues brought to light by the #MeToo movement – which originated in the entertainment industry – are not new: back in 1953, at the young age of 27, Marilyn Monroe wrote a cover story for MotionPicture and Television Magazine. Titled “Wolves I have known,” the story described patterns of sexual harassment that are virtually identical to the stories we hear today.
In that blog, I also mentioned a fascinating book, Blonde, the historically-based fictional biography written by award-winning novelist Joyce Carol Oates, which brings to life many relevant issues about sexual harassment and the challenges that women face in establishing their professional life in a male-dominated world. The book is now being adapted into a play, Love Is Blonde, that playwright Argia Coppola, with the help of Giancarlo Traina, wants to bring to Broadway after a successful launch in Italy.
It’s refreshing to see these initiatives, and it’s important for all of us to be aware of the history behind these current affairs. But it’s also a cause of concern, that, more than 60 years from Monroe’s story, things have only improved marginally, if at all.
Even more concerning is the increasing number of comments I’ve been hearing and reading, suggesting that some men are beginning to complain about reverse discrimination, that they see #MeToo as a witch hunt, and that they feel that companies are focusing too much on supporting women at the expense of men.
To these fellow male human beings, I want to send a clear message: if you are even remotely feeling mistreated because of #MeToo, and feel that women are getting too much attention, you are either misinformed or misguided. Either way, let me offer some information and some tips that I’d like you to keep handy the next time you are feeling sorry for yourself or for you fellow men.
First, a few data points to consider.
Exhibit 1
A recent story listed 201 men in positions of power who have been brought down by the #MeToo movement. We learn every day of similar stories, and that many of these stories have been covered up or rewarded with handsome payouts. Let’s extrapolate and round up, and assume that1,000 men have lost their jobs in the past year because of their misdeeds, or maybe even 5,000.
Exhibit 2
According to the FBI’s Uniform Crime Report, 90,185 rapes were reported to law enforcement in 2015. The Bureau of JusticeStatistics estimates that incidents of rape or sexual assault, including unreported cases, exceeded 430,000 in 2015. The same report also lists more than 1.5 million cases of domestic violence –the vast majority perpetrated against women.
Exhibit 3
A recent publication by the National Academies of Sciences, Engineering and Medicine provides an extensive overview of sexual harassment research studies, which show that sexual harassment is widespread across virtually every sector. One comprehensive study from 2003 found that, on average, 58% of women experienced sexually harassing behavior at work (ranging from inappropriate sexual language to sexual coercion and assault).
Exhibit 4
A recent study shows that roughly half of female physicians and female medical students report being sexually harassed in their profession.
Exhibit 5
A 2012 survey by the Department of Defense showed that 8%of active duty military women reported being the victim of at least one act of sexual coercion.
Exhibit 6
A more recent study identified high-risk military installations, in which as many as 15% of all women were victims of sexual assault.